dot hack EVOLUTION
by NileGal
Summary: Aura has returned to The World, and so Project G.U. and Project R.A. are complete… so the Epitaph Wielders believed. However Aura has one more task for the Infinity Eight: “Help my world grow.” .hackGU & .hackGAMES
1. AWAKENING

**.hack/EVOLUTION**

**Series: **.hack/Games, .hack/GU, .hack/SIGN

**Rating: **PG-13/T (language and battles)

**Languages: **English & Japanese terms

**Summary:** Aura has returned to The World, and so Project GU and Project R.A. are complete…so the Epitaph Wielders believed. However Aura has one more task for the Infinity Eight: "Help my world grow."

----------

/AWAKENING.

----------

.**The Lost Ground: Grima Lowe Cathedral**.

The gate activated and three PCs logged in. Part of the Infinity Eight, Haseo, Kuhn and Atoli logged into the Lost Ground of Grima Lowe. The Steam Gunner stretched and looked around the barren and broken area with a happy smile on, as always. He turned his head to Haseo, studding the third form Multiweapon before clearing his throat.

"Well, Haseo?" he prodded the Multiweapon. "Everyone's already there, we're late."

"I know." Haseo mumbled. He took a forced step. "Let's get this over with."

Haseo had lost track of how long he had played The World R:2. He knew that it had been eight months before he was defeated and successfully Data Drained by the AIDA Tri-Edge, but beyond that he had no sense of time besides what the game dictated. He pushed the doors open and found himself face to face with Pai the Avenger.

"You're late." She said, pushing her glasses up. "Yata-sama and the others are waiting over here."

She turned and walked down the long isle where at the end stood the pedestal with Tri-Edge's Sign engraved into it. Around the alter on the stairs stood the remaining Epitaph Wielders – even Ovan was standing there but farther from the other players. Haseo glared at him and stood beside Atoli and Kuhn. Kuhn clapped his hands together and bowed his head as if he were praying at a Shinto Shrine, which received him several odd looks, but he smiled at them and shrugged it off.

"We have already fulfilled Project G.U." Yata announced, looking at each wielder. "And now we are to finish Project R.A. as ordered by…."

The eight chains that sat on the pedestal and around the floor suddenly gained life and shot up at each of the eight, clamping on their wrists or ankles, or their arms or legs. Kuhn drew his gun and attempted to slice the chain off as Haseo attacked it with his scythe; however Yata and Pai stood watching the other members. Ovan stood still, eyeing the chain that had attached to the large 'black box' on his arm. Haseo pulled his arm back and swung his scythe out at the chain that had grabbed onto his wrist, yet as it moved to make contact the chain pulled him forward then flung him backwards. The ricochet caused his scythe to go flying and stick in the nearby marble pavement.

"Shit!" Kuhn yelled out as the chain was undamaged by his attacks. "Is…is this an AIDA?" The chain then swung him into the nearby wall. "MAGUS!" he shouted out but there was no response from his Avatar, as if it were sleeping.

"Kuhn!" Atoli and Sakubo screamed.

The chains began to glow as did the eight players. A body of a girl appeared over the alter, floating as if she were asleep and her limbs hanging as if she were dead. Her graphics glitched, static and the occasional fuzzy pixilization occurred as each of the chains glowed. Suddenly her body straightened and each of the wielders let out a cry. The chains snapped, sending the eight back upon their backs around the alter. There was an order to how the chains disconnected. First it was Haseo, followed by Atoli and Kuhn, then Yata, Sakubo, Endrance, Pai and Ovan. The girl stood then as her graphics settled, a bundle of white untamed curled hair fell around her face and waist. She opened her eyes revealing a brilliant purple that fell upon the Epitaph Wielders.

"Haseo-niichan, are you ok?" Sakubo called out as Haseo stood up shakingly, his scythe returned to his hand.

Haseo glared at the little girl, pointing the edge of his scythe at her. She looked at it, titled her head and blinked at it. "What the hell are you? An AIDA?"

She paused for a moment, and then turned her purple eyes to Haseo. "AIDA…. 'Artificial Intelligence Data Anomaly'." She announced but then paused. "Or…maybe it's 'Anti-Intrusion Device for AURA'."

Kuhn coughed as Enderance eyed the girl. "It is the first one." He said, moving his long blue hair behind his shoulder. The girl turned to look at him. Their eyes met and for a moment nothing was said, but she smiled and raised her hand to him. Enderance looked away and said no more.

The girl turned to the others and her eyes fell on Kuhn with a smile. "You are not attempting to charm me Kuhn? I am surprised by this."

"I would…but it seems like I can't move!" he said cheekily. The girl laughed.

"Aura was the Ultimate AI that none of the other administrators talk of." Pai brought up. The girl looked over her shoulder at her before turning her eyes back to Haseo.

" '_There_ _was a statue of a young girl here once…_'" Haseo looked at the ground bitterly. " '_Aura. That's what she was called_.'"

"And what happened to the fair maiden Aura?" Kuhn asked, standing up.

" '_Maybe_ _she lost her graces for this world_.'" Haseo said softly, remembering the conversation he had about Aura so long ago. His eyes snapped to Ovan and narrowed but the other player seemed not to care or remember who had said those words. He looked at the young girl as she still floated above the alter.

She looked at him for a moment, reading into his eyes before she blinked. "Shino said that to you, did she not? It was here at this very spot, was it not?"

Haseo's eyes widened and he nearly dropped his scythe. He felt himself shaking, unable to control his composure in the atmosphere any longer. "How…did…"

She smiled at him. "I know about everyone who plays in my world, without me or with me."

There was a collective silence, however Endrance looked at Kuhn and the blue haired PC nodded. He looked at the girl with a smile. "I was right then, Aura-san."

"Aura!"

Aura smiled and raised her hand, waving to them. "Welcome to, The World. My world."

While the others were in shock, except for Kuhn and Endrance, Haseo tossed his scythe to the ground and stormed up the stairs to the alter where Aura hovered. Aura looked down at him as he glared up into her purple eyes.

"Where…" he growled. "Where were you when Shino was PK'd by…"

"Where was I when you were trapped in my world by the AIDA?" Aura concluded his next sentence for him. Haseo glared and growled lightly, refusing to believe that the Ultimate AI knew him, knew anything relating to him, or anyone he knew.

"Haseo-kun, Gods aren't allowed to interfere with their worlds." Sakubo shouted, her hands on her hips.

"And, Aura is effectively the God…sorry, Goddess, of The World." Kuhn explained.

Haseo didn't care. He went to speak but Aura slipped off the alter and he took a step back, his eyes widening as she landed on the steps that the Sign disappeared. Pai turned to look at Yata who merely nodded. Ovan shifted in his spot and Endrance watched Aura closely.

"In order for a world and the people inside it," Aura explained. "The caretaker of the world may have to leave it for a time to ensure that it grows. As the caretaker is on absence, people will rise up and take the position to protect the world in which they love."

"Kono sekai…" Haseo looked up at Aura with a glare. "..daikirai."

"I know." Aura said. "I am sorry for what has happened to you and all of the people in this world while I was absent, but you will come to understand why one day."

"I don't care!" Haseo shouted at her. "I want out of this world! I want…."

"We all know what your wants are, Haseo." Yata spoke, pushing his glasses up. "However your wants at the moment fail in comparison to the needs of The World."

"He can speak his mind freely…just as any of you can." Aura said, her eyes falling on Kuhn with a smile. "Then again, maybe the only thing that Kuhn has on his mind is procreation?"

Kuhn stood there baffled for a moment. "Techincally that's only….you know, I don't think I'll finish that sentence with Haseo around…"

"I wouldn't waste my scythe on you." Haseo mumbled.

"Ok, the chainsaw sword then." Kuhn laughed nervously.

"I wouldn't waste it on you." Haseo mumbled again.

Aura laughed. She looked at Atoli and waved at her. Atoli blinked and waved back nervously.

"Aura." Ovan spoke up for the first time. She turned to look at him as did the other PCs. "There was a time…when several of us looked for The Key of the Twilight. Does it exist?"

"Shino said…that it didn't exist." Haseo shot at Ovan. For the first time, Ovan glared at Haseo, but Haseo didn't care. Ovan had already committed the unforgivable act.

"It existed in the first version of The World." Kuhn brought up. "Right Endrance?" the player scoffed and said nothing.

Aura smiled, putting her hands together. "The Key of the Twilight…and I, are one in the same."

"Nan…da?"

"I _am_ the Key of the Twilght." Aura said.

"That actually explains a lot." Kuhn mumbled to himself.

"…I was told…" Haseo addressed Aura "That…the Key of the Twilight grants wishes…"

Endrance moved towards them, moving more hair over his shoulder. "It could rewrite the game's data is all that was ever confirmed about this item. If it exists...which it apparently does... It can rewrite the game's data in strange ways. To destroy, or weaken monsters... There was a rumor a long time ago, about a Wavemaster…"

"That's the first version of The World's class close to a Harvest, Haseo-kun." Kuhn whispered. Haseo eyed him, he didn't care.

"…who had the Key, and used it to tame a strange monster." Endrance finished.

"That is a true even." Aura confirmed. She tilted her head. "I have not tried granting wishes before…"

Atoli took a step towards Aura, gulping as the Ultimate AI looked at her. "C-Could…you try…f-for H-Haseo-san…?" she blushed. Aura blinked and moved to speak, however it was Pai who cut in.

"Then, why is it Aura-sama," Pai took a step forward. "That it was said the dot hackers – the legendary players of the first version of The World – were able to not only find, but use the Key of the Twilight?"

Aura moved to speak but the sound glitched. She looked around the Cathedral as the graphics moved oddly, becoming static and fuzzy as well as the saturation lowering before it balanced out again. Kuhn looked around quickly as Haseo took a step to Atoli, scythe out ready to protect her. Yata eyed the Cathedral while Ovan simply smiled.

"My world and I…" Aura trailed off. "…still have a long journey before we are complete again."

"Again?" Sakubo cried out. "What do you mean 'again'?"

"Perhaps we should log out!" Kuhn shouted in attempt to get the message across the glitches.

"O-Oi!" Haseo moved forward as Aura herself started to glitch, her frame becoming fuzzy and her image distorting. "What about…what about the people in coma…what about…" he stopped short as Aura disappeared before their eyes without a single trace left behind.

"Haseo." Yata called out. "This area has become unstable. We all must gate out immediately before the area collapses on us."

"Yata-sama, I am unable to log out!" Pai called out.

"What's going on!" Atoli cried out.

"The area around us is terminating." Endrance explained calmly.

"Yeah and guess what's gonna happen to us if we can't get out!" Kuhn shouted. "Yata, Pai! You're admins, hack us out of here!"

"We are unable to locate our admin fuctions." Yata said.

"AURA!" Haseo shouted out.

_Chime._

Everyone fell silent at the sound of an A note in a C sharp. They looked at one another, seeing that none of them had activated their Avatars, but saw no AIDA around them. They looked down at the ground as a shadow appeared on the floor of a Celtic cross, but there was no one to give off the shadow. Atoli moved behind Haseo as the graphics continued to glitch and once again the A note chimed through the Cathedral.

It hurt. Haseo took a step back and grabbed his chest, his eyes widening as the pain increased. Skeith wanted out, whomever was making that chime was what Skeith wanted. He felt his body grow hot as the Avatar continued to try and rip itself out of him, trying to gain control…

"When the party is killed they are automatically sent back to the root town!" Kuhn called out. "We need to suicide run!"

"That is your brilliant plan?" Endrance scoffed. "It won't work. If the administrators cannot access their power, what makes you think that the game is even functioning correctly? The server might be crashing as we speak."

"Atoli…." Haseo managed to speak out through the pain and heat. "ATOLI GET AWAY!"

"I'm staying here!" she screamed over the arguments and glitches.

"ATOLI JUST—"

The Cathedral disappeared. The sound died out, and all they could see around them was a pure black void. Suddenly the screens were filled with black and white static images of battles from long before The World R:2, the graphics outdated as well as the systems. Great battles between eight large beings that threatened to destroy the characters fighting them. Haseo looked down at the ground to find that the shadow had inverted from back to white as the images flashed by so fast that no one could tell what they were. His scythe then was destroyed by an unseen force. Sound bites filled the area, shouting of battle commands and screams of panic, voices of desperation…

"…what's going on…?" Atoli whispered.

"These maybe in the restricted files for CC Corporation." Pai mused lightly.

"Haseo…"

Haseo looked over at Atoli, clenching his chest….

"…I'm scared…"

The energy from Skeith started to pulse out and signal the other Avatars within the other Wielders. The red markings of Skeith appeared…

"Someone knock him out of it!"

"What one s-s-should I….stop worrying and just cast one Bo!"

"Endrance didn't you say something like this happened to you in the first version of The World?"

"Maybe it did."

"Don't start that…."

Suddenly a small voice could be heard with out any distortion. "_The power it holds can bring forth either salvation or destruction at the whim of the user_."

_Chime._

"_It's here!_"

"_SKEEEITH!_"

There was a flash and the Avatar Skeith hovered above them all in the center of the inverted shadow of the Celtic cross. He pulled his arm back, revealing his scythe as it activated.

"Magus why the hell aren't you answering!"

"None of the Avatars are responding to Skeith's presence." Yata confirmed.

"How very odd." Ovan said calmly.

Skeith swung his scythe at the seven players. Atoli and Sakubo let out a scream and huddled to each other but the graphics finally came to a halt. The eight turned around, looking up at the large object that could finally be seen that caused the shadow. A long red staff with the cross above it, and a character with green markings in the center – the player that Skeith had struck. Kuhn stood shocked and turned around to see Skeith's graphics glitching between that of The World R:2, an unconscious Haseo, and a form he had not seen in a very long time…

"Skeith…the Terror of Death." Endrance said softly. "But…"

"Yasuhiko? YASUHIKO?" a player screamed out.

"G-gomen….Kite…." the player that Skeith had attacked deleted…

Skeith turned to look at the eight. He stabilized at his Avatar appearance and swung his sword again, creating a shockwave that sent them all flying. Their PC bodies came to a halt and then suddenly glitched out of existence.

"_YASUHIKO_!"

A white staff fell from the sky before Skeith. It sent him back, his graphic glitching between the Avatar and the Epitaph Wielder. The energy entered the PC body of Haseo again, leaving the player that was trapped within the body floating down towards the ground of the crashed server, still unconscious. He stopped suddenly, and Aura appeared in front of him with her long lavender hair cascading down her shoulders and her shimmering dress ever changing colors.

"Epitaph Wielders…the Cursed Wave…the Infinite Eight…" she said. "Help my world grow."

She released Haseo and let him fall as the server crashed.

* * *

Japanese terms (and translations): 

_Kono seikai...daikirai_ - "I hate...this world."


	2. REENTER

**.hack/EVOLUTION**

**Series: **.hack/Games, .hack/GU

**Rating: **PG-13/T (language and battles)

**Summary:** Aura has returned to The World, and so Project GU and Project R.A. are complete…so the Epitaph Wielders believed. However Aura has one more task for the Infinity Eight: "Help my world grow."

----------

/RE-ENTER.

----------

He felt something touch him in the side, apply pressure, and then it was gone. It felt like a poke or a light tap of the foot in order to gain attention. His senses were slowly returning, he could hear the sounds of the town and people walking, the water and everything. The root town of Mac Anu seemed to be in place again. Again he felt the pressure but it was harder and more direct.

His eyes snapped open and he bolted up, drawing his weapon out to the one that had persisted in awakening him. His vision was still blurry; his conscious eyes hadn't adjusted to the graphics around him yet. Suddenly everything was crystal clear. He looked down at the person who had annoyed him, a small PC with green hair and green clothing and red marks on his face. _Tri-Edge_? No, it wasn't Tri-Edge…it would have been the other PC that looked like him…

Then he noticed. He was wielding his twin daggers. Haseo looked down at himself, finding his attire for Form 1 reattached. Had he been Data Drained again when the glitch at Grima Lowe Cathedral occurred? Where were the others? What about Aura? Skeith?

"Kuso!" he shouted.

The Tri-Edge like PC had turned his attention to a PC that had logged into the area. She was taller than him, dark skinned with pink markings – none that Haseo was familiar with – around her as well as red-pinkish armor and a large sword. She blinked her red eyes at them, and then gripped her sword.

"What are _you_ looking at!" she roared at them.

"N-Nothing!" the green PC said.

He recognized the voice. It was the same that had shouted out the name Yasuhiko, but he couldn't recall any character by that name. "Omae wa…" he eyed the female PC and chose to ignore her. "…with the character that was Data Drained…" he recalled seeing it, but he wasn't sure if he or another Avatar had drained him for the AIDA…

The green PC nearly jumped to life. "You know about what happened to him?"

"Stop demanding for answers and staring at people like that!" the female PC shouted. "It's rude even in video games!"

Haseo stared at the female PC with the large sword. The words were so familiar….

The green Twin-Blade took a step forward. "Is it called 'Data Drain'? What does it do? What happened back there!"

Haseo took a small step. The Twin-Blade's appearance and closeness brought back the memories of Tri-Edge and Shino, and Grima Lowe…. "…s-shiranai yo…" he said shakily as he put his daggers back into his inventory. He tried to message Kuhn, but there was no response. Maybe he logged off for the day?

"You know what it's called though!" the Twin-Blade persisted. "You have to know something!"

"Ask her." Haseo glanced at the female PC with the large sword.

"You do?" The Twin-Blade turned to the other PC, taking Haseo's bluff as he slowly stepped away.

"W-What makes you think I'd know about it?" The female PC shouted. She noticed then that Haseo was quickly running away from them. "Hey, bastard, get back here!"

The two PCs chased him over the bridge. Haseo took a quick turn to the side and continued to dash. He had gotten used to running in The World, especially since he had been trapped in it. He came to a halt as the Twin-Blade was suddenly in front of him with a clock. Speed Charm. He looked over his shoulder to find the female PC behind him. He turned and took a step back as the two closed in on him.

"What the hell was that all about?" The female PC shouted.

"Tell me what you know, please!" the Twin-Blade begged.

Haseo's eyes went to the space between them and he froze. The graphics in a certain area had glitched, and he found the familiar cat-girl walking behind an all to familiar Blade PC with a plant on his head. He stared.

"Ne, ne, Shishou!" the cat girl shouted, taking the attention away from Haseo by the two other PCs. "Ne, ne Shishou!"

"T-Tabby.." Haseo mumbled. "S-Sakisaka..?" but Sakisaka had quit The World R:2….

"... Who th- A cat girl and a plant guy? I didn't know I could make those kinds of characters..." the Twin-Blade mumbled then his hand shot up and grabbed Haseo's shirt by one of its many belts.

Haseo twitched and moved to swing at the Twin-Blade, but it didn't work. He remembered, there was no violence or PKing in Root Towns. He grumbled in annoyance. "Let go of me!"

"I'm trying!" The Twin-Blade said frantically.

"You're such a noob." The female PC sighed.

Haseo glanced at her. With how large her sword was, he would suspect she was a Brandish of sorts. He noticed his surroundings as well. This wasn't Mac Anu. It looked similar, yes, but it looked smaller and there were several things missing. "….where are we?"

"You're a noob too!" The female Brandish sighed. "We're in Delta Server, Mac Anu, the root town for the Delta Server. Ring any bells?"

"This isn't Mac Anu…" Haseo grumbled. _What the hell was going on?_

The Twin-Blade had gone blank for a moment, and they could hear the shifting of papers. He let go of Haseo's shirt then became reanimated with a beaming smile on his face. "There, got it!" he said happily. "You said you weren't a newbie, so is this your second character?"

" …hai." Haseo lied. He didn't feel like giving his life story to a couple of annoying newbies. As guild master of Canard, he interacted with many newbies, but these two had to be the most annoying out of any of the ones he had met. The girl was loud and rude, and the boy was just a pest and the generic newbie.

"So you're another Twin-Blade." The Twin-Blade confirmed. "Odd, I haven't seen those weapons before…"

"I bet he hacked them." The girl snuffed.

Haseo twitched. "Hacker jyanai yo!" he shouted at them. "They are my default weapons."

"No they aren't. Just admit it you cheated." The girl glared. Haseo narrowed his eyes back at her, but glanced at the Twin-Blade once he had figured out how to pull his daggers out. They were different, but Haseo didn't care. He wanted to be left alone.

"I'm not a hacker, I'm a Multi-Weapon."

"Ah what? I don't remember seeing that option." The Twin-Blade mumbled.

Haseo pushed passed them; he was done with these two. He noticed that Skeith wasn't as active in him as he was normally. It had settled down to what it was like before Skeith had come out during the Arena battle. He figured it had to do because he was back at Level 1, for a third time, and that it was no big deal.

"Pissy much?" the female PC grumbled.

"Hey my characters moving on its own!" the Twin-Blade cried out.

Haseo stopped. The newbie had him on Auto-Follow, great. He closed his eyes and tried to send a message to Atoli. His message bounced back with the words:

**Player Not Found.**

He froze then spun around and grabbed the Twin-Blade. "What version of The World is this!"

"Eto…is there another version of this game…?" the Twin-Blade asked nervously.

Haseo stared at him. He remembered then, the name that Yata and Pai had given to Tri-Edge according to all the system administrators. "….Kite of the Azure Flame…?"

"Azure Flame, what?" The Twin-Blade blinked. "I'm Kite…but what a bout flames now…?"

"What year is it?" Haseo barked.

"Are you insane?" The female PC asked.

Kite scratched his cheek. "Are…you another one of the people that fell into coma and had amnesia…?" he asked but Haseo didn't answer. "…well, its 2010…"

Haseo stared. He didn't understand how he could travel back in time seven years. He would be ten at the moment, with no interest in games or people. How was he sent back? Didn't that mess up time and create a paradox? What the hell did Aura have in mind? He let go of Kite and turned away.

"If you want to know about Data Drain….follow me."

He led them down an alleyway. It reminded him of when he had talked to B-Set about the Twilight Brigade, and he felt as if he knew how B-Set felt then. He stopped with his arms folded, both Kite and the other PC had followed him.

"Data Drain...its an ability only certain things get...it strips the player down to Level 1, removes their items and inflicts status elements...if you're lucky." He said.

"….ouch…" the girl whispered.

"But, Yasuhiko…" Kite said softly.

"If you're not lucky," Haseo continued. "Your character data will be deleted, and the Player behind the terminal will fall into coma…." His voice softened as well. _Or you could be like me and stuck in this damn world._

"That's what Yasuhiko's parents weren't telling me…."

Haseo half turned to them. He wondered. The Lost Grounds of The World R:2 were left over data, fragmented data, from The World R:1. Grima Lowe was a Lost Ground, so then it would have to exist here. "Oi, is there a Cathedral around here?"

"Not in Mac Anu." The girl said.

"I meant on the server." Haseo glared.

"I don't know." Kite shrugged. Haseo wondered how an AIDA would have chosen Kite's data to corrupt. "I wouldn't know... The only area I've seen is Bursting Passed Over Aqua Field... Wow that's hard to say."

"You newbies don't know anything." Haseo mumbled. He had to keep up the appearance this was his second character.

"Sorry for not knowing every damn location on the word list!" The girl shouted. Kite rubbed his ear.

Haseo pushed past the two and walked back. Kite still had him on Auto Follow, but he could careless about Kite. It was the girl that was annoying. He found the bridge that reminded him of the bridge that Phyllo always sat at to listen to everyone's troubles. He leaned against the railing and put his head on his arms and looked down into the water. Kite let out a laugh of triumph as he had figured out how to turn off the Auto Follow.

"Are there any PKs here?" Haseo asked suddenly. If he was ten now, Shino would be younger and not in coma…but he was still stuck in the game….

"What the hell are you talking about?" the girl asked.

"Player Killers." Haseo said.

"That's disabled." Kite said. He did know something.

Haseo stood and headed off.

"Where are you going?" Kite called after him.

"To find the location of that Cathedral." He said.

"It must be super hidden if you don't know it!" Kite said, he apparently believed Haseo was on his second character.

"I have my ways."

"Hey." The girl called out. Haseo stopped. "Why do you want to find….this Cathedral so badly?"

Haseo looked down and didn't speak at once. "….someone ..I knew was…deleted there…"

"Deleted?" Kite ran towards him.

"Like your friend….Yasuhiko." Haseo said.

The girl stared at the two for a moment. "Then I guess, I can help you…come on."

She turned and headed towards the Chaos Gate. Kite invited Haseo and the girl into a party. Haseo stood and waited for the information to be relayed into him, and he learned the girl's name was BlackRose. She wasn't a Brandish, she was a Heavy Blade, and was just as new to the game as Kite apparently was.

"...The only reason I'm still playing The World..." Kite said. "I want to find Yasuhiko. Or how to make him better... One of the two. To get him out of the coma... If it weren't for the feeling that The World holds the cure, then I would never want to see this game again."

**.Δ Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground.**

Haseo looked around at the Cathedral. It looked exactly the same as it did in The World R:2, just as empty and cold. He thanked BlackRose and headed towards the Cathedral.

"Aren't there any monsters here?" Kite asked.

"Surprisingly, none." BlackRose shrugged.

He opened the doors to the Cathedral. He then noticed that this was indeed different. Aura, or at least her statue, stood on the alter with eight chains on her. From what happened before, he guessed they were the eight chains for the Avatars. He walked forward towards the railing that was there as well, looking up at the statue.

"She seems so sad." BlackRose said softly.

"Her name is Aura." Haseo said.

"Aura?" Kite asked. He stood beside Haseo, leaning over the railing but turned around as BlackRose screamed. A goblin had appeared in the area where no monsters were supposed to be. Haseo had already jumped into the action with his daggers out and struck the goblin down at ease. "Woa.."

The goblin turned around and quickly flung Haseo back into the railing and then attacked BlackRose. Kite moved to defend himself when there was a sudden metal sound and the goblin deleted. A PC stood where the goblin had, wings dawning his outfit of metal and his long white hair moving from his face.

"…Balmung of the Azure Sky." Haseo mumbled.

"So, despite your low level you know me." The PC nodded. "Either way, you three must leave this place at once. It is too dangerous for you here. The virus has been sighted here and you are all at danger, leave now!"

"Virus?" Kite asked.

Haseo pushed Balmung out of the way as another monster fell from the sky, his frame and graphics pulsing with green data. Balmung redrew his sword and BlackRose hurried over to Haseo and Kite. Haseo knew that the data was corrupt on his monster, but he wasn't sure if AIDAs existed in The World R:1.

"A data bug!" Balmung growled. "You three stay back here, don't do a thing! When it is distracted, you must run!"

"But you can't take it on! It has infinite HP!" Kite shouted.

"I will fair better than you will!" Balmung dashed out at the data bug.

The Cathedral shook with the sounds of the battle, but the statue of Aura did not move as it was safely secured by the eight chains that bounded her to the alter. Haseo turned to look at Kite.

"Data Drain it." He said.

"But, how…I don't…"

"Aura gave you something, didn't she?" Haseo urged. "Whatever it was, use it now. Or he will end up like Yasuhiko."

Kite stared for a moment but opened his inventory and pulled out a large book. There was a glitch and he disappeared. A large beam shot out from the sky and hit directly through the data bug, pulling the corrupted green data from it. The graphics glitched again and Kite stood there with his outfit now a bright orange-red opposed to his green. Haseo recognized this as the colors that Tri-Edge wore. Kite had the same bracelet that Tri-Edge did now. Things were making sense.

"Did you just see what happened!" Kite nearly began to flail. "Everything went white and static like then this weird bracelet thing showed up and dissected the monster and…"

Balmung disposed of the data bug then turned to them. Haseo eyed him as he pulled his sword out and pointed it at Kite.

"Hacker!" he declared.

* * *

_Kuso!_ - "Shit!"  
_Omae wa..._ - "You..."  
_Shiranai yo_ - "I don't know."  
_Ne, ne, Shishou!_ - "Hey, hey Master!" (Note: In .hack/ROOTS, Tabby called Sakisaka "shishou")  
_Hacker jyanai yo_ - "I'm not a hacker." 


	3. DUNGEON

**.hack/EVOLUTION**

**Series: **.hack/Games, .hack/GU

**Rating: **PG-13/T (language and battles)

**Summary:** Aura has returned to The World, and so Project GU and Project R.A. are complete…so the Epitaph Wielders believed. However Aura has one more task for the Infinity Eight: "Help my world grow."

**Readers: **I have noticed there is slight concern over how the characters act in _.hack/EVOLUTION_. Some of the characters will act differently and certain events are out of order from the original games. This not only keeps it from being a rewrite of the games, but also attempts to have the characters grow and interact with each other on different levels. Thank you for your concern and enjoy :).

----------

/ DUNGEON

----------

"Hacker!" he declared.

"Huh?"

"What you just did to that data bug," Balmung of the Azure Sky explained with his blade pointed up. "Is an illegal item to The World! I cannot allow a hacker such as yourself to exist!"

Balmung poised himself and leapt at Kite. He flung his arms up to hide his face but the blow never came. He looked up, seeing Haseo's back to him with his twin daggers blocking Balmung's sword. Balmung was such a higher level then them! How as Haseo able to block him? It might have been his second character, but there was no way a Level 1 character could…

"He isn't a hacker," Haseo said bluntly, narrowing his eyes. "He's too stupid."

The angel PC stared down at Haseo before stopping his assault. The player data for this black Twin Blade showed that he was a NPC, and yet he was interacting as if he were a normal PC. Another hacker. He turned, his wings catching the drift. His metal clunked and echoed through the empty holy church. The door slammed shut as he left, leaving the party again by themselves.

"Why would he think I'm a hacker?" Kite asked.

"The item you have is an undocumented item," Haseo mumbled. "He would think it's a hack."

"Well I can't unequip it!" Kite cried out as he swung his arm around in a desperate attempt to send the invisible bracelet flying.

"Do you even know how to unequip items?" BlackRose eyed Kite, folding her arms. She looked at Haseo as the black PC turned to look at her.

"You're a noob too," he barked. "Your level is low, and you did nothing to help Kite defeat that monster. You should be more grateful to those that want to help you. It doesn't come often."

He pushed passed her, standing in front of the alter where Aura's statue stood. His eyes fell to the ground. In this spot on that day that would come in seven years, Shino would be…

"So what's so special about the alter?" BlackRose asked softly. Haseo didn't answer.

"Hey, Haseo-kun!" Kite tried to get his attention. The black PC didn't respond and so Kite turned to the statue. "Hey, there's an inscription here!" he leaned over the bar to read it. "Skeith… Innis… Magus, but I can't read the rest."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" BlackRose put her hand on her hip and the other on her sword hilt.

"I don't know!" Kite pouted. "I just started this game!"

"Skeith, Innis, Magus, Fidchell, Gore, Macha, Tarvos, and Corbenik." Haseo said softly. "Eight entities in The World that were supposed to help create Aura."

"Whose Aura?" BlackRose walked over to Haseo, her hand on her hip. "And why is she _so_ special?"

"Aitsu…." Haseo looked up at the statue. "The Key of the Twilight… Goddess of the World… take your pick."

"You're not making any sense Haseo-kun!" Kite turned back to look at Haseo, his PC's face clearly showing confusion.

Haseo twitched and glared down at the ground, clenching his fists. "What do you expect from someone trapped in a video game!" he shouted, his voice echoing in the church.

"Trapped?" Kite stared, scratching his head. "I don't see how you can get stuck in a game; just take off the FMD…"

"Ore wa… log out o dekinai." Haseo mumbled.

"I've never heard of someone that can't log out from a game." Kite stared. "I don't get it."

Haseo smiled to himself. "I'm not at my computer…I'm not wearing the FMD… my body is unconscious in a hospital bed, while _I'm here_."

BlackRose gasped, nearly dropping her equipped sword. Kite stared at Haseo for a moment, trying to connect the information. From what Haseo had told him, people could fall into comas by being Data Drained, but the character would be deleted as well. That's what had happened to Yasuhiko – Orca. But if Haseo was Data Drained, how was he still in the game and not in coma like Orca? Kite's head swam, and the player behind the terminal rubbed his head. BlackRose had turned to leave, sending a private message to Kite that he should follow. The party was disbanded and the two PCs left Haseo in the Cathedral.

Haseo crumbled down to his knees in front of the statue. He couldn't log out, he couldn't contact any of the other Infinities, he wasn't sure if the coma victims of his time had awakened, and he didn't know if he was the only one that had somehow ended up in The World R:1. Aura was the God of The World, but could she truly send people back into the previous events of The World? Why would she do that? Hadn't he and the others done enough? Project R.A. and Project G.U. were complete….

BlackRose and Kite had logged off.

He wasn't sure why he had returned to the Root Town after he received the message from Kite. He wasn't sure why he had picked himself up off the floor of the Cathedral and decided to join the party of the Heavy Blade and the Twin Blade. It was odd. Even though he had accepted the party invite, it only showed as two people in the party. Maybe it was because his data showed that he was an NPC, and so he would only appear to people in a party.

Haseo leaned up against the wall as Kite fidgeted with his inventory, and then went into a private conversation.

"I found this guy," Kite explained. "He said he can help us and tag along."

"Great," BlackRose huffed. "Why don't you just invite _everyone_ to party with us?"

"It's not like you have to stay." Haseo told her with a coy smile. He could tell that unnerved her and she looked away with a huff as Kite returned to his private conversation.

BlackRose turned to Haseo. "Your levels are higher, did you go and do some solo leveling before we got on?"

"I'm in The World twenty-four hours a day," Haseo eyed her. "What else do you expect me to do?"

"Sleep?" BlackRose suggested and Haseo rolled his eyes.

The three PCs looked as a warrior in silver armor walked up to them. His name was Piros from the data Haseo could see once he had entered the party. It was obvious he thought highly of himself by how he looked down at the three. Haseo glared in annoyance at him, while BlackRose twitched beside Haseo. The background music had changed once Piros appeared, only proving to annoy the two more.

"I am honored to join your party, Ye of Fair Eyes!" Piros said in the main party. Haseo instantly wished that PKing was not only allowed in Root Towns – but in The World R:1 in general.

"And who the hell are you?" BlackRose twitched.

"I am the great Hero, Piros the White! I will valiantly aid you in your quest on this day!" the Heavy Axeman beamed.

"So, you're a noob." Haseo said as he analyzed the data.

"How cruel of you to say!" Piros gawked. "If it were not of Ye of Fair Eyes, such an affront would – "

"What would you do? Annoy me to death?" Haseo stood up, his hands on his hips. "You're doing a fine job of that already. Oi, Kite, let's get this over with."

**Θ Quiet Eternal White Devil.**

Both BlackRose and Haseo were quickly becoming annoyed with the antics of the silver knight named Piros. He believed himself to be a great hero of The World, in in reality he was nothing more than a role player behind a terminal. Kite seemed oblvious to it, or it was just that he didn't care as long as it brought him one step closer to finding the bug that deleted Orca. Haseo had no intention of telling Kite about the Avatar Skeith inside his PC body – which he supposed he could say was _his body_ now.

"Such an area is fit for this beast of white and red wand!" Piros put his hands on his hips.

"Oi," Haseo shouted and Piros turned to him. "If you keep calling Skeith a 'beast', you'll be the next one to go – just as a warning."

"You know the beast's name!" Piros was stunned. "Are you in legaue with him?"

Haseo swore to himself. "No, it's what the system adminstrators call him." He lied quickly.

"Y-Yes! Let us quest and…" suddenly Piros barked. "What are you doing, Ta…" without another word the PC fuzzed and logged out, leaving the three to look at each other.

"Maybe his dog pulled the cord out?" Kite suggested.

"Who knows." Haseo shrugged and he turned his attention to Kite. "You're looking for Skeith here."

"If that's what got Yasu – er – Orca, then yes." Kite nodded.

"And, why do you want to look for Skeith?" Haseo turned to BlackRose.

"That's my business." She shot. "What about you?"

Haseo looked down at the pathway that led farther into the dungeon. "If I find Skeith, I'll find Aura. That's why."

br>

**.CC Corporation Main Office.**

It wasn't uncommon to be at work all night at CC Corporation. Main system administrators did it often, either playing the game from work or writing reports for the Debug Team. However there was one employee who had stayed late that night, investigating the virus that had been unleashed in The World. Everyone had believed that after the issue with the Wavemaster had been solved, things would return to normal, but the employee saw something.

He dropped his FMD, and pushed away from the table. He ran down the hall towards the main system administrator's office on the other side of the large room.

"The Twilight!" he shouted. "The Twilight…it's coming!"

The area glitched. Haseo turned to find a lump NPC standing in the center of the room of the dungeon. Kite walked up to him, poking him while BlackRose shook her head at the Twin Blade.

"This area is going to be closed off. Please gate out." The NPC said.

"Because of the glitch?" BlackRose asked.

"This area is going to be closed off. Please gate out." The NPC said.

"If it's like what happened at the Cathedral," Haseo walked passed the NPC. "Then they'll try to retain the bugs." He continued on into the dungeon, with Kite and BlackRose running to catch up with him.

The rest of the journey was in silence until Kite had paused and looked around. "This is the bottom floor, I think." He turned and pointed to a large statue. "That's Gott Statue."

"Well I don't see any big white beast, so the lead must have been a fake." BlackRose sighed. "If you ever dream of pairing up with someone like that Piros again, Kite, I'll never join a party with you again!"

"He wasn't that bad, BlackRose!" Kite nearly flailed. "He was just role playing!"

"He could have chosen some other persona that was less annoying!" BlackRose shouted at him. She paused as the graphics glitched again, inverting momentairly and the sound disappearing. Everything quickly returned to normal. "…that's really starting to creep me out…"

Both of the PCs turned to Haseo. He was only a few feet ahead of him, his attention drawn to the bottom of the statue. Three PCs had appeared, fuzzy and occassionally glitching. Two female characters with male voices stood over the other PC, who was sprawled out over the chest. Kite's eyes widened once he had a good look of the PC on the chest, red wave markings with black clothing and grey hair…

Haseo had taken a step towards the three, as if he were expecting something to happen. The two female PCs turned and the scene fuzzed out again, leaving the party alone in the dungeon. Kite looked back at Haseo as the PC clenched his hands and kicked the treasure chest. It opened but he did nothing to pick it up. Kite switched the party loot to free for all, and silently moved to pick up the item. Haseo stared down at the box, apparently unable to see or hear the other two party members.

"Hey, BlackRose," Kite turned to the Heavy Blade as she walked up. "Do you know what a 'memfrag.rv2' is? I haven't heard of that extension name before."

"Maybe it's spefic to The World?" BlackRose shrugged. "Wait, the extension's part of the name?"

"Yeah, that's what's showing up." Kite blinked. "Do you think it's a hacked item, Hase…o…kun…?"

He turned to see the other party memember gate out of the area and disband from the party. Kite turned back to BlackRose who shook her head. The two followed the action, leaving the dungeon to be closed down. A girl sat ontop of the Gott Statue, her ever changing dress shimmering with colors and her lavendur hair falling over her shoulder as she looked down where the scene had been replayed.

Haseo sat down with his back to the small fence that sectioned off the statue from the rest of the Cathedral. He looked up at the ceiling. The World loved to make a mockery out of him, showing the most troublesome moments, and not even showing what made the moments worth it all. It seemed as if The World loved to rub it into his face, what happened to Shino, by denying him even a moment of happiness, and leaving him with the haunting images of that day….

br>

He felt steel against his neck suddenly. He raised his head, looking up at the see through image of a PC with green hair and twin daggers. It was a ghost. Haseo blinked, not feeling any modivation to move.

"You want the Key of the Twilight, yes?" the ghost asked.

"…dare da…?"

"Well, I'll give it to you." The ghost continued. "I have no interest in it, you see, I just want to be the one to find it, before anyone else. But first..." Haseo looked away. "Your Member Address, please. See, I enjoy getting the member addresses of all the beautiful ladies I can..." and then he disappeared.

Haseo grabbed the sides of his head. Now The World was making a mockery of his time with the Twilight Brigade? Was there no end to this? He didn't care what Aura wanted. He didn't care what CC Corporation wanted, what any of the other Epitaph Wielders wanted. He wanted to leave, he hated this world. He hated everything in that world that made a mockery of him; it was just like the real world. He let out a cry of anger and stabbed the fence behind him with his dagger, putting his hands on his knees and his head on his arms.

* * *

_Aitsu_ - He/She  
_Ore wa… log out o dekinai._ - "I can't log out."  
_...dare da...?_ - "...who...?" 


	4. FIRST TERROR

**.hack/EVOLUTION**

**Series: **.hack/Games, .hack/GU

**Rating: **PG-13/T (language and battles)

**Summary:** Aura has returned to The World, and so Project GU and Project R.A. are complete…so the Epitaph Wielders believed. However Aura has one more task for the Infinity Eight: "Help my world grow."

----------

/ FIRST TERROR

----------

**.Δ Expansive Haunted Sea of Sand.**

"I'm out of healing items and SP…what about you BlackRose?"

BlackRose looked over at Kite, putting her sword on her back. It had been a day since they last saw the mysterious PC named Haseo. They attempted to contact him but he ignored them. It weighed on her mind about what wanted him to find this Skeith and Aura so badly. His desire was almost as bad as hers, but maybe the reasoning wasn't the same.

"Yeah, same." She responded. "How's the hand?"

Kite laughed lightly, rubbing his wrist. "It's ok," he knew that she wasn't referring to his hand – but rather the bracelet on his wrist. "I think I'm going to wait before I head in though, let my SP recover."

"That's a good idea…"

"HI!"

Kite and BlackRose turned around. A small Wavemaster ran up to them, her white, blue and yellow large hat flopping beside her. She held her staff up, shaking it around. "Who the hell are you?" BlackRose asked.

The Wavemaster sent both of them her PC data. "I'm Mistral, the wonderful and cute and extravagant Wavemaster slash Treasure Hunter!" she made a dramatic pose with a smile on her face. "You guys need some help? I love helping newbies!"

"But, you're only just a few levels higher…" Kite baffled. "How are we newbies?"

"I don't know." BlackRose shook her head.

"Cause you guys would have known better to pack more healing items, or have a Wavemaster in your party." Mistral smiled. "Come on, lemmie into your party and I'll show you all how to run the dungeon!"

Kite thought for a moment, scratching his head. "A healer would be good…" he could tell BlackRose was aggravated and didn't want anyone else in the party. "Ok."

"Sugoi!" Mistral giggled. "You're gonna show me more of that bracelet, right? Right?"

"Why do you always get the weirdos?" BlackRose eyed Kite and he laughed.

After defeating the dungeon boss, Mistral disbanded from the party. Mistral reminded for them to call her if they ever needed healing and she would be glad to help, mainly because she wished to see more of Kite's bracelet. It was an undocumented icon, one of a kind, and rare, just what she was interested in!

**. Δ Root** **Town** **Mac Anu.**

Kite sighed as he and BlackRose gated back into Mac Anu. He had finally gotten another lead on where the mysterious creature that put Yasuhiko into coma, but every time he and BlackRose attempted to gate into the area, it was shut down. He and BlackRose stood in silence as he tried to find a way to get into the area. No doubt that CC Corp had closed the area on purpose to prevent more rumors. He was dimly aware of the sound of another PC gating into the area.

"Hi?" BlackRose shot a glare at the PC. She was a Wavemaster, but nothing like Mistral. She floated instead of walked and had almost another world feeling to her – she even was Level 99!

"There is no need to be upset." The Wavemaster smiled at her. She turned to address Kite, but found that the Twin Blade's status had momentarily been set to AFK (Away From Keyboard). BlackRose twitched and edged away from the mysterious Wavemaster.

Kite suddenly became animated again and turned to BlackRose. "There's nothing in the manual about protected area…." He stopped as he saw the Wavemaster. "Oh, hello.."

"I've been waiting for you." The Wavemaster replied.

Kite blinked. "Who are you?"

"Someone who is here to help you," she avoided the question. "You need to get into this protected area, do you not? Take this," she pulled out a small diamond shaped item and extended her hand to Kite. "Be careful not to loose it. It will help you get into your desired area."

"How do you know about that?" BlackRose glared, hands on her hips.

The Wavemaster smiled. "I have my ways, as do we all."

"But who are you?" Kite urged again, taking the item.

_You have received Virus Core A._

"I suggest you be careful in your desired area," she continued without answering their questions. "You never know what sort of bugs may appear next. If you excuse me, I must visit another friend now." She turned but paused. "And, Twin Blade, my name is Helba. Jya matta boi."

And Helba gated out, leaving the two with a Virus Core.

**."The World" BBS Board.**

Subject: None

Poster: WB Yates

Message:

_The Twin Stars of justice have returned to The World after being gone for too long.  
_

**. Θ Root** **Town** **Dun Loireag.**

Haseo sat on one of the boxes outside the Grunty farm. He had been avoiding all the invites from BlackRose and Kite for the last few days, days in the outside world anyways. For a second time that he could truly recall, he felt hopeless. He couldn't contact any of the Infinities, Aura was no where to be found, and there seemed to be no hope for him ever returning back to the real world. He had no idea if Shino was alright now, or if he was still in coma, or if any of the Infinities were in coma – maybe they hadn't even come back with him.

"You my friend are a very interesting anomaly in this world."

Haseo let out a small groan. So many people thought he was a hacker that changed his status to an NPC, others thought that he was a highly advanced Event Character, and then there were the ones that just ignored him period.

"If you're looking for someone to join your guild, _beat it_." He growled. He didn't even know if there were guilds in this version of The World, and he couldn't care less.

"Now what makes you think I would be looking at something as trivial as that?" the PC asked. "Maybe I just wanted to speak with you. People _do_ talk to one another."

"Tch."

"Oh now don't be that way." The PC seemed to almost gloat. "All I want to know is what is wrong with your character data," the female PC stared at his back and it sent shivers up his virtual spine. "Even the rogue AIs do not have as much complex data that you have. So tell me, why are you so different?"

Haseo pushed himself off the box he was sitting on and started to walk away. "Why don't you ask your God and leave me alone?"

"Do you even know God?" the PC asked. "Have you seen God? Have you seen _Aura_?"

"Yes," Haseo growled and clenched his fists. "Long lavender hair, mutli-colored dress, floats around, the works. Now drop it."

The PC laughed for a moment. "So you have…" she trailed off for a moment. "Why is it such a sensitive subject for you? Perhaps you lost someone….in "The World"? Someone you care about..? Although that does not answer my question: Who are you?"

Haseo whirled around, one of his daggers at the PC's throat. He saw a good look of her then as his hair stood on end; she had white robes and a large helmet that covered her eyes, blond hair coming from under the helmet. Her stats read that she was level 99, but Haseo could care less. She was talking about things she shouldn't know about, that she shouldn't dare utter. He felt cool metal against his neck then, and slowly turned his eyes to find a large spear at his neck, held by a PC of a young man with a choppy black hair cut and two blue eyes – the Earth wave on his bare arms.

"I wouldn't." the male PC glared. "In the name of CC Corp, I shall delete you, with this Spear of Voltan. Pathetic cheat."

Haseo couldn't help but grin, the grin that t he famous PKK wore. "You…think I am a _cheat_?"

"It would seem that CC Corp has caught on to this as well." The female PC noted, unmoving from Haseo's dagger at her throat.

"Your character data is far too large." The male PC continued, ignoring the female PC. "Your weapons are not part of the game. You act beyond the limitations of a normal NPC. You're a Vagrant AI."

Haseo attempted to move but realized he was locked on. "Is that so?" he asked with the maniacal grin on his face.

"Admin controls accessed. Commencing del—"

The PC body stopped as spear ripped through his abdominal. An identical PC stood behind him, with the exception that one eye was blue and the other was yellow. The spear that the PC had attacked with looked similar to the one that had threatened Haseo, but it had a design on its body of a red spider lily that climbed up to the top.

"Copying my character data…creating another copy of the Spear of Wotan, the spear of God…CC Corp is truly detestable." The PC glared down at the other one. "Shibayama. Never log in as that PC again." He pulled his spear out and the identical PC deleted as if it were a bug.

The female PC turned her attention back at Haseo and the weapon at her throat. "CC Corp must frightened, if they are sending the debugging team after you. Even so much to copy the spear from God? Yes, truly frightened indeed…"

"But," the male Long Arm pointed his spear at Haseo as he removed his daggers from the female PC's neck. "If you are truly a threat, then…" however Haseo brushed the spear aside and started to walk away. "You aren't a normal AI, what are you?"

Haseo paused, and with a smile turned to them. "_Shi no Kyoufu_."

"The Terror of Death…" the female PC trailed off. "Skeith?"

"You're the one she spoke of then." The Long Arm noted. "Aura."

Haseo whirled around and grabbed the Long Arm by his mithril jacket, pulling him closer to glare into his two colored eyes. "You know Aura! Where is she?"

"It is difficult to say where she is at any given time." The female PC stated.

"I don't know." The Long Arm said. "I saw her when I was knocked unconscious from my game. The Spear of Wotan shattered as I threatened God…and then there was a lyocris flower. I woke up in the ambulance, and sometime later when I was sleeping Aura appeared to me. She said that my PC data had been restored to what it was before Albireo was deleted, and that she had crafted a new Spear of Wotan for me, with the love of Lyocris in it. She asked me to watch over a certain PC inside The World…"

Haseo let go of the Long Arm named Albireo. The graphics glitched again, the screen fuzzing out and the sound muting for a moment. Albireo put the spear again at Haseo's neck as the graphics around them changed into a place Haseo remembered seeing, a place of broken data where he saw Kite and his friend face off against him…or maybe it wasn't him, maybe it was Skeith…

"Relax, it is not his doing." The female said calmly, looking around.

"Helba isn't lying…" Albireo glared. "So I will trust you for now," he removed the Spear of Wotan.

The three turned around as the large white beast with eyes appeared before them, his red staff with the Celtic Cross glaring down at them. Haseo felt his chest surge with pain and he tried to mentally call his Skeith forward, but there was no response. Albireo leapt at the R:1 Skeith as Helba replenished his health. Haseo attempted to move forward but found himself strapped down, his PC body refusing to move. He turned his head behind him to see the Celtic Cross behind him and lifting him up.

"Albireo!" Helba shouted out.

Haseo stared up at the face of Death. The white beast pored the sensation out, to the point that it was all Haseo could think about. He felt a ripping sensation in his body, as if he was being torn apart. Skeith raised his arm to Haseo and activated his Data Drain, sending Albireo back several feet. Haseo screamed as he felt himself being ripped piece by piece, the memory of Tri-Edge destroying him and all the other unreturners at ease filled his mind. He opened his eyes and for a moment thought that Tri-Edge was standing in front of him again, but it quickly glitched back to Skeith. He felt himself falling onto the ground, unable to move, barely unable to think.

He could see Helba and Albireo shouting at each other, the Long Arm rushing towards him. Small red data began to chip off his body, the data that he recognized as when his body would transform into Skeith in R:2. Everything was becoming static, the colors fading…

"_Tsuyoku_ _nare_."

" …shi…no….?"

Albireo stopped as Haseo's PC body broke apart and Skeith devoured it, but he leapt forward to grab the small item that Haseo had left behind. He then disappeared, the person he was sent to destroy gone. Helba and Albireo gated out before everything came to a hault in The World.

**System Error.**

* * *

"Sugoi" - Amazing

"Shi no Kyoufu" - Terror of Death

"Tsuyoku Nare" - Become Strong


	5. TERROR

**.hack/EVOLUTION**

**Series: **.hack/Games, .hack/GU

**Rating: **PG-13/T (language and battles)

**Summary:** Aura has returned to The World, and so Project GU and Project R.A. are complete…so the Epitaph Wielders believed. However Aura has one more task for the Infinity Eight: "Help my world grow."

**Notes:** I'm sorry for the late release of this chapter. Work exploded and I've been so busy trying to do other things. Fear not, I do not plan on abandoning this story. Enjoy!

----------

/ TERROR

----------

**. Δ Root** **Town** **Mac Anu.**

Kite logged in and sighed behind his terminal. There was so much going on and his real head swam with all the information he was receiving. The server had been down more than usual after the latest System Error, and he had received worried emails from BlackRose and Mistral. He opened up his Member Address list and looked down it. Haseo's address was there, but he wasn't responding to Kite's messages. Kite figured he could be deliberately ignoring the messages – Haseo did do that from time to time.

Kite was waiting for BlackRose to log in. He had received an email from the girl with lavender hair. The email had a field that it said he should go to. He knew BlackRose would be interested, and he would have given the information to Haseo if he would respond to his private messages.

The sound of the Chaos Gate activating reached his read ears and Kite turned around. He saw a Long Arm standing there, tan skinned and black hair with a gold eye and a blue eye. The PC noticed that he had gained attention and glanced down at Kite. Shock played out on his face and in an instant he had pulled a decorated spear out. And BlackRose gated in.

"What did you do Kite!" BlackRose shouted at him, standing beside him as the Long Arm's eyes glared into Kite's eyes.

"I-I don't know!" Kite said. "S-Sir I'm sorry…"

"My name is Albireo," the PC stated as if Kite had never spoken. "I am the order and balance in this world, and I will not allow someone who deletes other characters PC's from the game."

Kite and BlackRose stared. "What?"

Albireo narrowed his eyes. He had seen the Twin Sword, just for a moment, with Helba and Haseo. He had raised his arm and a bracelet appeared, attacking Haseo just as the monster Skeith did. Even if he hadn't had been there at the time, the Twin Sword had in fact attacked Haseo before in the same manner. He was sure of it. And it brought back unwanted memories of Tsukasa and his Guardian.

"Delete PCs? What the hell are you talking about?" BlackRose glared. "You can't kill PCs, let alone delete them!"

"CC Corporation is allowed to if need be," Albireo said calmly. "And, since this boy's bracelet can and he is not working for CC Corporation – he is then in possession of a hacked item and violating the user agreement. I saw him attack and delete a PC with gray hair and red Wave crests…judging by the weapons, he was a Twin Sword as well."

The player behind Albireo typed in a special command and the spear began to glow. He then struck the sword at Kite's arm, letting a cry out from BlackRose and a gasp from Kite. All that happened; despite the debugger command was that the famous bracelet appeared to the three of them. Albireo frowned, not pleased by the fact his command didn't work.

"Wait…" BlackRose said softly. "Gray hair and red Wave crests? Do you mean Haseo-kun?"

"You know him?" Albireo asked, eyeing her.

"Yeah," Kite nodded. "He is a player on his second character and..he said he got stuck in The World." He glanced around quickly then lowered his voice. "He's our friend; I don't see why you'd think we would kill him, even if it were possible."

"Maybe it was just an AI that looked like him." BlackRose said hotly. "I mean, you hear about AIs all the time on the BBS – so that obviously must be what it is. Kite wouldn't do that to another person, especially a friend like Haseo-kun. But we have to go now, so…"

"What field are you going to?" Albireo asked shortly.

Kite fumbled through his ever growing list of clues. "Theta Server Chosen Hopeless Nothingness." It was where Aura had said to come.

"I'll go with you," Albireo exchanged his party address. "Aura asked me to protect the PC that was just killed…."

"You kow Aura!" Kite gaped.

"Not now Kite, let's go!" Blackrose snapped and gated to the Theta Server, with Albireo and Kite right behind here.

**.Θ Chosen Hopeless Nothingness.**

The three of them waited by the Chaos gate. As soon as they logged in Kite received a message from Mistral, and he invited her into the part once Albireo decided to merely walk along with them instead of taking up space in a party. The bouncing Wavemaster giggled and joined their group. After telling Mistral what had recently happened, though she obviously didn't understand it, they made their way to the dungeon. The four of them fought to the bottom level, expecting to find a data bug but they found something else.

Aura.

The AI saw them and smiled, bowing her head in respect. "Albireo of the Two Colored Star, Kite the Wielder of the Bracelet, Blackrose and Mistral – the companions to the Wielder. It is wonderful to meet you." She smiled again.

"Huh hi?" Blackrose blinked.

"Hello!" Mistral waved.

"What happened? Did you escape that thing that was chasing you?" Kite asked hurriedly. BlackRose had to admit she was surprised to see him step up to be a leader once Haseo was gone.

"There is little time to explain, so please let me speak quickly." Aura merely only dabbled on an answer for Kite. "The Cursed Wave has been sent out upon the World governed by the God of the World to strike down all that she seems unfit. Eight make up this Wave of destruction and shall cause the downfall of the World."

"What about Haseo-kun? Albireo said…"

"He was deleted." Albireo said shortly. "By Skeith – I saw it happen."

"But, Haseo's already stuck in the game!" BlackRose cried out. "W-What…"

"I can only free those who are trapped in my world after I am complete," Aura said softly but was able to regain their attention. "Within the Wave is another Wave, strong and true, whom wish to restore the true God of the World to the throne in which it was designed for. I ask you and all your friends that come upon these eight to help them, and in return they will aid you."

"The one you asked me to help – Haseo – he's one of them." Albireo nodded.

"That is correct." Aura turned to look at BlackRose and smiled. "Please watch over Kite and help him wield his burden. Morganna Mode Gone will only allow so much in this world to happen and will try to finish him off."

"O-Ok.." BlackRose had no idea how to act. It had dawned on her that this was the girl that Kite always talked about, the one that Haseo had been so angry with. She nodded numbly and Aura smiled, but then her smiled slipped away.

Aura seemed more animated than she had before. "Please now, you must hurry and go! Your lives are in danger, please go!"

"What do you mean!" Kite asked, walking towards her. "Is that thing coming again? What about you?"

Aura smiled. "As long as the Second Wave is here, I will be fine. Now please, go!"

They attempted to gate out but it was pointless, nothing was responding right. A red Celtic cross rose from the ground behind Aura, dragging her up into the air. Kite stood in horror as Albireo rushed forward to attack, and BlackRose shook. Mistral stared as Aura gave a scream. The graphics glitched around the white beast, and Haseo stood behind Aura with a meanicing scythe in his hands, tip pointed towards Aura.

"Don't do it Haseo!" BlackRose shouted out. "Don't!"

Ablireo took his eyes off Aura just for a moment to glance at BlackRose, but that was all the moment the Terror of Death needed. He swung his scythe at Aura, striking her down as she screamed in pain and the data began to stream from her. The graphics glitched again and Haseo disappeared, leaving the white beast standing with his arm outstretched towards Aura. Aura became a small red orb, shooting off into three separate pieces. Albireo watched in horror and clutched onto his spear, glaring up at the white beast.

"It has infinite hit points!" Mistral cried out. "What are we going to do?"

Kite clutched onto his daggers. For a minute it seemed as if he, the real Kite, was truly inside his PC and that it was him trembling. Aura had been struck down by the person that was looking for her, Yasuhiko had fallen into coma, and now they were about to fall into the same problem. He looked up through his bangs at the monster in front of him.

"We strike it down!" Kite ordered, causing even Albireo to turn his head. "Albireo and BlackRose, do the heavy hitting. I'll support you in the back. Mistral, you heal."

"Youkai!" Mistral nodded.

BlackRose stared at Kite for a moment and smiled. _Without Haseo here, you really are a leader. Maybe, that's what Haseo taught you._

The battle began. Skeith seemed to live through all their attacks, blowing them away as if they meant nothing, even by Albireo. Kite watched Skeith closely, trying to read movements of a pattern, but it was entirely too random for a computer program. His eyes widened as words appeared over Skeith.

**DATA DRAIN OK.**

He pulled his arm back and up. "Data Drain!" he shouted and the bracelet on his arm activated. The prongs sprung up and a golden aura rose from the bracelet. Suddenly ribbons shot out of it, grabbing onto Skeith and making the beast roar in pain. The graphics twitched and Haseo floated in Skeith's spot for just a moment before crumbling down to the ground as Skeith returned. Albireo caught the falling PC, the only thought for a moment in his head was the image of the mangled PC with that bracelet attacking Haseo…

"Albireo!" Kite shouted out to him. "Hit him!" the Twin Blade PC was still standing in his spot, holding his arm as the bracelet finished draining.

Albireo sat Haseo down then leaped up, spearing the white beast. As the HP bar hit zero, Skeith screamed and the green glitched. They attempted to gate out but nothing responded. BlackRose froze and looked above her, seeing a massive monster above them. Albireo approached it wearily when it roared, causing all four of them to fall onto the ground and the game to glitch again. The people behind the terminals smashed their controls into the desk as they desperately tried to move their PCs, but were only awarded with two words on their screens:

**SYSTEM ERROR.**

* * *

"Youkai!" - Roger!


End file.
